4 Reasons to Save Your Game Boy Color

So the other day, I was cleaning out my closet when I stumbled upon my old Game Boy Color. You can just imagine the nostalgia I felt when I saw that my old Pokémon Yellow was still in the slot.

I thought back on the times I spent on it, sitting in the backseat or waiting around at the mall while my parents shopped. I turned it on to check if it still worked and after blowing into the cartridge (anyone remember that?) it turned on. As I sat on my bed, battling a Pidgey that I found in the grass, I thought about what I should do with it. I sure as heck wasn’t throwing away this beauty (have you seen how much they go for online?), but I didn’t want to sell a piece of my precious childhood history. Then I came to the conclusion that I could save it for when I finally have a kid of my own. Here’s why:

1. We’ll end up talking about it anyway.Whenever I hear older adults talk about their old consoles, like Sega Genesis and Nintendo NES, I constantly wish I could play with them. It’s more out of curiosity than anything else. I vaguely remember playing Duck Hunt on the NES, but I have no clue where that system went after a while. So I just imagine us talking to our kids about playing our old handhelds while they sit there and play their 10th-generation Nintendo DS. At some point, they’ll want to try it out even if they seem like they don’t care.

2. Save money the first couple of years.

Nowadays I see little kids playing with smartphones or tablets, just pressing random buttons or placing calls. Some have even racked up massive phone bills, making in-app purchases, and some even have their own tablets. Call me old-fashioned, but I would never hand over my smartphone to distract a 3- or 4-year-old nor would I buy a $150 tablet for a toddler. Too many things can go wrong and I would not be able to deal with it. Just no. So instead of giving your 3-year-old your iPhone, pull out the old trusty Game Boy, stick in Mario Bros., and hand it over. You will save money in the process, and you don’t have to worry about hearing that agonizing sound of your smartphone hitting the ground.

3. Early introduction to gaming.

Do you remember how you got into gaming? Maybe playing games on the family PC or playing on an older sibling’s console (if they were nice enough to let you) captured your interest. Either way, unless you were lucky enough as a young kid to have the latest console, you played on older games and that was enough to spark your interest. Game Boy Color would be a great introduction to the gaming world for your little one. If you have games like Mario Bros., Pokémon, Donkey Kong, Zelda, or anything of the sort, you’ll be setting up your child to be a gaming expert. Seriously, what could make a parent prouder than their kid knowing their gaming history? Point and case.

4. This stuff was built to last.

Chances are, if I put away my Game Boy in a safe spot and take it out regularly to make sure it still works (and maybe do some maintenance), it’ll still be in working condition by the time I have my own kids. Heck, I hadn’t played mine in years, and I was shocked to see that it still turned on. The hardware inside of a Game Boy Color was built to last. Almost 15 years after its release, some Game Boy Colors that are in perfect condition are being sold at their original retail price, and it’s all because the hardware inside will still last another who knows how many years, making them a perfect investment. They’re sturdy, durable, they come in different colors, and they can survive a fall, unlike today’s tablets. It’s a perfect gaming handheld for gamers ages 3 to 7.